Don't Know A Thing

picture by Noukka Signe

Becoming an adult has its ways of humbling me.

I feel like a 5 year old again - even though I dress in the 'professional' colours of white, black and blue every weekday, wear high heels, and earn my own paycheck.

When I was applying for a job, I scratched my head wondering what to put in my resume besides the basic academic qualifications and personal particulars. Skills...skills? Practically have to be learned on the job, because going to school and working life is so different. It's not another school like going from kindies to primary to high school to..., it's a whole other kind of life. The joy of getting hired was replaced with the (cold) reality that I don't know a thing to start with.

In school, because I was blessed by God (sometimes I forget that) with the ability to pick things fast in a teaching/lecturing session, I normally know what I'm doing. Sure, we learned new things everyday, but as you would know school lessons are mostly theory, which I am able to do considerably well in.

picture by Laurie

Work however, is hands-on and practical.

Instead of just understanding how stuff works and then getting a essay asking you to explain what you just learned (theory), working life is more like understanding how or why stuff works and then applying it immediately. In my case, after understanding a certain legal procedure about purchasing property (which is what the bulk of my work is about - banking and conveyancing), I must then write a letter/prepare a document/find documents from the archives etc, depending on the case, to complete whatever stage the case is in.

That's the most important bit that I'm trying to to do today but am still blur to the whole picture - applying legal knowledge to completing cases - because it's like I can see certain pieces of the puzzle, but I can't see the big picture yet.

picture by hawkexpress

Hmm...did I mention other seemingly small but important skills such as knowing computer shortcuts, using a copier and fax machine, answering the doorbell and receiving phone calls, and organizing files, to-dos and my workspace? Before work I knew none of these. At work I feel so blur not knowing how to use all these stuff, then In school, I didn't ask questions much - I was too lazy and mostly thought I understood, so there was no need for it. Besides, I didn't want to look silly in front of other people (Yup, I had an 'attitude' back then and even now I still struggle with it).

Working life also calls for time and task management skills. In school, I was pretty easygoing and also undisciplined, avoiding routine stuff often. I had to admit that I tend to skimp on passing my homework in time, scribble notes all over the place, and generally like to take my own sweet time - but this working life demands the exact opposite out of me.

Perhaps it's a good thing, introducing some order in my life. With this working experience, I become more disciplined and humbled by the fact that there's always stuff that I don't know and would have to slowly learn them, one step at a time.